Magnus had just reasserted Norway’s authority over The Isles and Man,
when he stumbled into a party of Normans harassing the King of Gwynedd.
68
Magnus ‘Barelegs’ Tours the Isles
BySnorro Sturluson
Barely a generation after Harald Hardrada narrowly missed out on taking the
English crown, his grandson Magnus re-asserted Norway’s authority over The Isles and Man.
69
The Black Hole of Calcutta
ByEdward Fraser
In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal allowed his frustration with British merchants in
Calcutta to get the better of him.
70
The Battle of Plassey
ByHari Chahan Das
Before Siraj ud-Daulah became Nawab of Bengal in 1756, his grandfather
begged him to keep the English sweet, and put no trust in Jafar Ali Khan. If he had only listened...
71
Sunspots and Wheat Prices
ByJames Sime
William Herschel showed that variations in the brightness of the sun
were causing climate change, but hardly anyone believed him.
72
One Man Army
ByEdward Fraser
The fort at Budge Budge near Calcutta proved stubborn against the
massed artillery of the East India Company, but a tipsy seaman took it all by himself.
